Sky-Filling Light Rain

Ling Yun sat cross-legged on the ground, his Martial Soul, the Yin-Yang Mirror, hovering above his head, bathing him in red and white light.

"Come! My first Soul Ring."

"The key to breaking the laws of heaven and earth."

Guided by a thread of soul power, the Iron-Armored Ox's Soul Ring appeared above Ling Yun's head in an instant. It then contracted, clamping onto the Yin-Yang Mirror like a tightening hoop, and released its soul power in one massive surge.

The soul power within the ring continued to carry out its master's will, possessing a destructive, scorched-earth momentum. Like a flood tearing through the earth, it sought to crush Ling Yun's body, shatter his meridians, and severely wound his spirit.

"You were no match for me in life, and you still wish to resist in death? Be suppressed!"

The soul power from the ring felt like molten lava, pouring from the Martial Soul into Ling Yun's arms and surging throughout his entire body.

Ling Yun turned bright red, steam rising from his head as the surrounding temperature climbed significantly.

This was a different kind of bomb.

Seeing this, Su Yuntao and Sisi frowned, worry inevitably surfacing in their hearts.

This didn't look normal at all. Back when they absorbed their first rings, they had no help and their talents were mediocre, so their first rings were only ten-year rings; the entire process had been smooth and uneventful.

Nothing like Ling Yun's situation—the commotion was far too great!

"Focus your mind on your Martial Soul, stay clear-headed!"

"No matter how painful it is, you must hold on. The longer you persist, the more perfect your control over the Soul Ring will be once the absorption is complete."

Ling Yun didn't need their reminder; he was already doing so. The sudden release of soul power had indeed caused him trouble, but it was still within his capacity to endure.

Ling Yun's consciousness controlled his original level-ten soul power, launching an assault against this foreign force. Using his meridians as a battlefield, he crushed it again and again.

With every collision, a portion of the soul power became entangled and was assimilated by his original level-ten power.

This process inevitably caused damage to his meridians, especially the smaller ones, and such injuries were occurring constantly.

Fortunately, the Yang attribute of the Yin-Yang Mirror was powerful enough that the moment his meridians were damaged, they were healed by this energy the very next instant.

In the cycle of breaking and mending, his meridians were further reinforced. The battle within his body continued, and Ling Yun guided his own soul power to strike hard once more.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

After fifteen times, the soul power of the ring had been beaten into submission, obediently merging into his original soul power.

Ling Yun felt refreshed and invigorated. "A mere Soul Ring, yet you wanted to turn the world upside down? This is the price for disobedience."

All that remained was the refinement—to thoroughly make this soul power his own and use the momentum to break through his bottleneck.

Outside, Su Yuntao and Sisi saw Ling Yun's aura stabilize, and the heavy stones in their hearts finally fell.

The most dangerous moment had passed; they only needed to wait for Ling Yun to finish refining the soul power.

The two exchanged a glance and smiled.

Su Yuntao spoke up, "Tell me, how should we report this?"

"Report it truthfully, of course! Do you have some other idea?"

"It's not about me, it's about Ling Yun. I've invited him to join the Martial Soul Hall twice, and he refused both times."

"If we report this truthfully, the higher-ups will definitely send someone—likely a Titled Douluo. Once that happens, he'll have to join whether he wants to or not."

"You know as well as I do that no one dares to refuse a Titled Douluo!"

"We might get a reward from the Hall for reporting the truth, but Ling Yun will hold a grudge against us. If he is forced to join the Martial Soul Hall under pressure, what will happen to us once he grows strong?"

Su Yuntao was clever; if Sisi weren't his goddess, he wouldn't have shared this with her!

If he didn't make the point clear, knowing Sisi as he did, she would surely report everything about Ling Yun for the sake of the visible reward.

At this moment, Ling Yun was already able to divert his attention to perceive the outside world, and he naturally heard their conversation.

He couldn't help but praise in his heart: Brother Tao is a sensible man.

Sisi also realized the gravity of the situation and gave Su Yuntao a look of gratitude. She suddenly realized she didn't know Su Yuntao at all. How had she never noticed before that this man who spent his days hovering around her possessed such a clear head?

"I understand! How do you suggest we report it?"

"We'll say we encountered a herd of Iron-Armored Oxen, severely wounded the target, and then escaped the herd's attack. We returned to finish it off after the herd dispersed."

"As for the age of the Soul Ring, we'll report it as four hundred years!"

"That way, it's good for you, and good for me!"

Sisi nodded. "I never would have guessed you had this side to you. You look exceptionally handsome right now!"

Praised by his goddess, Su Yuntao suddenly became embarrassed. His cheeks flushed, and blood rushed to his face. Fortunately, it was the middle of the night, so it wasn't clearly visible, or he would have been even more shy!

The moon grew paler, and the sky gradually brightened.

On Ling Yun's side, a new development occurred: the invisible shackles formed by the laws of heaven and earth were pried open and snapped under the influence of the Soul Ring.

The unique soul power fluctuations characteristic of breaking through a major bottleneck rippled outward, climbing from level eleven, level twelve... and only slowly coming to a halt at level fifteen.

This 596-year soul ring had not been absorbed in vain; the results were surprisingly good.

Su Yuntao and Sisi felt this surge of soul power and looked toward Ling Yun's direction.

"He succeeded!" Su Yuntao shouted in excitement.

Ling Yun stretched his limbs, his body emitting a series of popping sounds; he had grown taller, and his skin possessed greater elasticity.

At this moment, he felt that the surrounding soul power was much easier to absorb. If his efficiency in absorbing soul power before absorbing the soul ring was 1, then his efficiency now was 1.5. In two words: exhilarating!

His senses had also become much sharper, and his eyesight had improved significantly, allowing him to see both further and in greater detail.

"Congratulations! You've made history!"

"Many thanks to Sister Sisi and Brother Tao for standing guard, allowing me to absorb the soul ring in peace. The success of this soul ring is partly due to your efforts."

"How is it? Are you satisfied with your soul skill?" Su Yuntao asked.

On the Douluo Continent, inquiring about someone else's soul skill was considered impolite. By asking this way, Su Yuntao left it to Ling Yun to decide whether he wanted to share.

If he didn't want to say, he could simply answer that he was satisfied or dissatisfied.

Ling Yun did not hide or hold back; his soul skill would have to be used sooner or later. Since he had gained their trust, showing them the skill was no big deal.

"I'll demonstrate it for you directly, and you'll understand!"

A soul ring rose beneath Ling Yun's feet. With a thought, a sky-filling array of light needles manifested, blasting outward with unparalleled piercing power.

The rock ten meters away was riddled with countless holes.

Under Ling Yun's mental control, the red and white light needles thinned out, and wherever his will directed, the needles shot in unison toward the target.

He could control the number of light needles at will.

Before he had a soul ring, he could compress light and condense it into beams to increase attack power, but he couldn't condense them into independent light needles that didn't interfere with one another. That level of control was far beyond what he could achieve back then.

This was a soul skill: flexible, convenient, and powerful.

Only after truly possessing a soul skill did he understand why so few people on the Douluo Continent researched Self-Created Soul Skills.

Soul rings were simply too convenient!

Martial arts techniques could be classified as Self-Created Soul Skills; they were essentially the same, both being techniques for utilizing soul power.

The difference was that Self-Created Soul Skills required years of practice to improve proficiency and increase power.

The soul skill granted by a soul ring bypassed the training process entirely, allowing for immediate mastery; one only needed to activate it.

Soul skills were also smoother to use, offering clear advantages.

"I have named my first soul skill Sky-Filling Light Rain!"

"A very vivid name. This piercing power is truly terrifying; I wouldn't be able to block it. Perhaps only a Soul Elder of the defense type could withstand it."

Su Yuntao used himself as a reference point to express his assessment.

Sisi felt a complex mix of emotions in her heart. Is this what a genius is? It really is quite enviable.